Wii Mini

Nintendo is being sued by Philips in Delaware, and the crux of the case may really hit hard. There are two patents in question, and both relate to what makes a Wii so great: motion detection. If successful in this suit, Philips may deal a deft body shot right to Nintendo as they’re trying to get up off the canvas.

The smallest of the higher-end gaming consoles has been revealed to be approaching the United States just in time for the holidays: the Wii Mini, complete with Mario Kart. This little beast works with a cut-down collection of abilities that were once only available on the original Wii. Here you're not able to connect to the internet - and therefor wont be able to access the digital library of Wii and GameCube games available to the larger - but everything else is ready to roll.

Nintendo may be in full force with its new Wii U console, but the original Wii is still making its rounds. The newer Wii Mini gaming console -- a smaller version of the original Wii -- will be making a trip across the pond to the UK where it will be available for sale starting March 22. Previously, the console was a Canadian exclusive.

Nintendo quietly announced the Wii Mini recently. The console, which will be available in Canada for $100, supports over 1,000 Wii games, but lacks a host of important features, including backward compatibility with GameCube titles and the ability to connect in any way to the Internet.

Of course, Nintendo has said that the Wii Mini is the perfect value. The console is cheaper than the Wii and is smaller. Plus, it’s the perfect entry point for new gamers who don’t care about the old days and simply want to get their motion gaming on.

Nintendo's new Wii Mini has been made official, a compact refresh to the original Wii with a few drawbacks - such as no internet connectivity - to keep the price down. The new console, prematurely leaked in the past weeks, is Canada-only - at least initially - where it will be sold at CA$99.99 from December 7. Nintendo has trimmed out all online functionality among other things.